Tenko
1981 to 1984 Drama, War & Politics 3 seasons
TMDB rating 8.3/10 Ended
Based on real-life experiences, Tenko remains one of the most fondly remembered and acclaimed BBC dramas of the early 1980s. It follows a group of women, formerly comfortably well-off ex-pats living in Singapore, as they are captured by the Japanese during World War II.
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Seasons3
The first season, set in 1941-42, charts the drama from the women being captured and sent to live in squalor and deprivation in a Japanese POW camp.
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Season 2, set in 1942-43, began with the women on a long march to a new camp, where things seem much more luxurious at first, but they find they have troubles settling into the strange regime of their new home.
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The final season took up two years after the previous one, as the war drew to a close and the women were returned to their normal lives. Well, as normal as they could be after their imprisonment.
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This show also has specials. Specials never affect your progress, new seasons, or completion.
Cast and details
Stephanie ColeBeatrice Mason- Ann BellMarion Jefferson
Claire ObermanKate Norris- Elizabeth ChambersMrs. Domenica Van Meyer
Emily BoltonChristina Campbell
Veronica RobertsDorothy Bennett- Patricia LawrenceSister Ulrica
Jean AndersonLady Jocelyn 'Joss' Holbrook- Annet PetersFemale Prisoner of War
Stephanie BeachamRose Millar
Burt KwoukCapt. Yamauchi
Takashi KawaharaShinya
- Created by
- Lavinia Warner
- Network
- BBC One
- First aired
- Oct 22, 1981
- Latest episode
- Dec 10, 1984
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Release dates are original schedules and may differ from availability in your country. A release never marks anything as watched. Last checked Nov 2, 2026.Schedule data from TVmaze, CC BY-SA.